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Enhanced fluid/solids contacting in a fluidization reactor

a fluidization reactor and fluid/solids technology, applied in the direction of separation process, furnace, other chemical processes, etc., can solve the problems of large hydrogen consumption cost, low octane number, undesirable sulfur levels in such automotive fuels, etc., to improve the octane loss and hydrogen consumption, enhance the desulfurization of the hydrocarbon-containing fluid stream, and enhance the effect of contacting

Inactive Publication Date: 2005-05-10
PHILLIPS PETROLEUM CO +1
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel system of solid sorbent particulates that are sized to enhance fluid / solids contacting in a fluidization reactor.
[0007]A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel hydrocarbon desulfurization system which employs a fluidized bed reactor having reactor internals which enhance the contacting of the hydrocarbon-containing fluid stream and the regenerable solid sorbent particulates, thereby enhancing desulfurization of the hydrocarbon-containing fluid stream.
[0008]A still further object of the present invention is to provide a hydrocarbon desulfurization system which minimizes octane loss and hydrogen consumption while providing enhanced sulfur removal.

Problems solved by technology

High levels of sulfurs in such automotive fuels are undesirable because oxides of sulfur present in automotive exhaust may irreversibly poison noble metal catalysts employed in automobile catalytic converters.
However, most conventional sulfur removal processes, such as hydrodesulfurization, tend to saturate olefins and aromatics in the cracked-gasoline and thereby reduce its octane number (both research and motor octane number).
In removing sulfur from diesel fuel by hydrodesulfurization, the cetane is improved but there is a large cost in hydrogen consumption.
However, the gas flow in fluidized bed reactors is often difficult to describe, with possible large deviations from plug flow leading to gas bypassing, solids backmixing, and inefficient gas / solids contacting.
Such undesirable flow characteristics within a fluidized bed reactor ultimately leads to a less efficient desulfurization process.

Method used

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  • Enhanced fluid/solids contacting in a fluidization reactor
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Examples

Experimental program
Comparison scheme
Effect test

example 1

[0071]In order to test the hydrodynamic performance of the full-scale desulfurization reactor, a full-scale one-half round test reactor 300, shown in FIG. 11, was constructed. The test reactor 300 was constructed of steel, except for a flat Plexiglass™ face plate which provided visibility. The test reactor 300 comprised a plenum 302 which was 44 inches in height and expanded from 24 to 54 inches in diameter, a reactor section 304 which was 21 feet in height and 54 inches in diameter, an expanded section 306 which was 8 feet in height and expanded from 54 to 108 inches in diameter, and a dilute phase section 308 which was 4 feet in height and 108 inches in diameter. A distribution grid having 22 holes was positioned in reactor 300 proximate the junction of the plenum 302 and the reactor section 304. The test reactor 300 also included primary and secondary cyclones 310, 312 that returned solid particulates to approximately one foot above the distribution grid. Fluidizing air was provi...

example 2

[0086]In this example, a second set of tracer tests was conducted in substantially the same manner as the first set of tracer tests, described in Example 1. However, the cross-hatched (i.e., perpendicular) baffle arrangement described in Example 1 and shown in FIGS. 3-6 was replaced with a staggered baffle arrangement shown in FIGS. 7-10. During the second set of tracer tests, five vertically spaced horizontal baffle members were positioned in the reactor. Each baffle member (shown in FIG. 9) included a plurality of parallel cylindrical rods. The cylindrical rods had a diameter of 2.375 inches and were spaced from one another on six inch centers. The spacing of the rods gave each baffle member an open area of about 65%. The baffle members were vertically spaced in the reactor 300 two feet from one another and each baffle member was offset relative to the adjacent baffle member so that the cylindrical rods of adjacent, vertically spaced baffle members extended substantially parallel ...

example 3

[0092]In this example, a third set of tracer tests was conducted in substantially the same manner as the first and second sets of tracer tests, described in Examples 1 and 2. However, the third set of tracer tests were conducted to evaluate the impact of particle size on axial dispersion in reactor 300.

[0093]Table 11 summarizes the calculated Peclet number results for the third set of tracer tests employing the fine and the coarse solid particulates (described in Table 8) in reactor 300 having five horizontal staggered baffles (described in Example 2).

[0094]

TABLE 11Coarse CatalystFine CatalystBed Ht.Target UoUo at BedPecletMeasured UoPeclet(ft)(ft / s)Surface (ft / s)Number(ft / s)Number110.750.857.10.8315.2111.001.117.01.0916.6111.501.496.21.4614.5111.751.716.71.6716.840.750.8113.70.8822.741.001.0714.51.0925.041.501.5416.21.4928.141.751.7315.61.7122.3

[0095]Table 12 summarizes the calculated Peclet number results for the third set of tracer tests employing the fine and the coarse solid pa...

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Abstract

A system for enhancing fluid / solids contacting in a fluidization reactor by controlling the particle size distribution of the solid particulates in the reactor.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]This invention relates to a system for enhancing fluid / solids contacting in a fluidization reactor. In another aspect, the invention concerns a system for improving the contacting of a hydrocarbon-containing fluid stream and sulfur-sorbing solid particulates in a fluidized bed reactor. In yet another aspect, the invention concerns a method and apparatus for removing sulfur from hydrocarbon-containing fluid streams.[0002]Hydrocarbon-containing fluids such as gasoline and diesel fuels typically contain a quantity of sulfur. High levels of sulfurs in such automotive fuels are undesirable because oxides of sulfur present in automotive exhaust may irreversibly poison noble metal catalysts employed in automobile catalytic converters. Emissions from such poisoned catalytic converters may contain high levels of non-combusted hydrocarbons, oxides of nitrogen, and / or carbon monoxide, which, when catalyzed by sunlight, form ground level ozone, more commonly ref...

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): B01J8/34B01J8/24B01J8/26B01J19/00B01D53/12
CPCB01D53/12B01J8/26B01J19/006B01J8/34B01J2219/00777B01J2219/0004B01J8/1872B01J2208/0084
Inventor MEIER, PAUL F.SUGHRUE, EDWARD L.WELLS, JAN W.HAUSLER, DOUGLAS W.THOMPSON, MAX W.
Owner PHILLIPS PETROLEUM CO